The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-04-23

was furnished q remembered by sign
in the saloon below for forty cents. TIL,
bottle of wine, my host explained, wa
extra, adding that he liked the vintage
l gradually directed the conversation
to himself, but at first he was not inclin
ed to be biographical. He merely sale
ne was an Englishman by birth thai
shortly after arriving in this city some
years ago he had been stricken with
pneumonia, and when he recovered
found all his friends gone. He confess.
ed that he had had very hard time fol
while.
"Why," he exclaimed unguardedly,
III had resort to begging in the street
yet, sir, | became professional beg
gar"
"Could you get a living at thatp"
exclaimed.
"Easier than you think" he replied,
"and for one fond of outdoor pedestrian
ism it is not as laborious as poring all
day over desk, particularly after you
have got over the sacrifice of self-respect
and dignity"
can amateur beggar you uinterestme.
"You get good many rebufs and
refusals, but if twenty out of hundred
give you anickel each you have one dol
lar. Now | can live comfortably on one
dollar a day-in this quarter of the
town."
"And you are your own MASTER"
laughed.
"And boss, too"
"And can make your own hours ?"
eyes," he assented, "but in begging,
as in everything else, thrift is only
achieved by industry, and the beggar
must always be on the go. Tramp,
tramp, tramp, from morning to night,
in storm and in sunshine-everybody,
excepting indeed the competing beggar,
isyour victim-client, Ishould say. You
can form no idea of the persons who
will listen to your appeal. Those whose
benign countenance certainly leads you
to believe that they will listen to your
heartrsndiRaa st9fMH ts9yfMHpat6fize i66f with YOU and
pHfsseatlt- mat can be only appreciated by
the initiated"
'It is not so easy life, then, after
all2"
sNo," he replied musingly, "early
and late, always on the go. The mod
erately crowded thoroughfare, when the
people are not in too great a hurry,
yields the best, large crowds are no
good. Harvest time is the midnight
when there are many revelers about who
are inclined to be sympathetic and gen
erous and not too critically examine
their small change. The hour when the
crowd is hurrying home to dinner is
propitious for pitiful story of starva-
ton. But it is impossible to calculate
on tickle humanity and some days, with
out any apparent reason, the public will
not give up a cent and then the beggar,
unless he has some change in his pockets,
has to go supperless to bed or resort to
degradation of begging food in the area
ways. Still, by industry an enterpris-
ing and intelligent street beggar can get
along very comfortably in large city
like New York, even if he has only a
few routes, as the large floating popula-
ton keeps the streets continually tlled
with strangers"
81 suppose you had a different story
for each one."
"No, because you might run against
the same person twice the same day,
and ten chances to one he would rudely
remind you that you told him differ
ent story before, which would stamp
you as an impostor. Ofcourse the story
has to be changed with the seasons and
various circumstances, but the same one
must be told as long as it goes. You
know it is not good plan to change
horses while crossing the stream" >"
"Do not-I mean did not you expe-
rience any trouble with the police"
eyes, yes; but they will be indulgen1
unless you are too fresh. l mean they
used to be; for you know now l am
speaking of my past life" D."
s'I am glad to see by your surround
ings that you are doing much better
now."
He did not reply, but I could detec
covert smile through his flowing beard
which he nursed ahjectionately.
"I take it," 1 said, "that you are nov
established in business.
"I? II" he exclaimed. 81 am
professor of anatomy. l write on tn
subject"
"Ah!" l exclaimed.
"There is not harder working maj
in this city than l am in my line.
consider earn every cent l receive. "
By this time the dinner was finished
and pull on the bell brought the wait
er up with the cafe noire. l was provid
ed with cigars and my friend accepte
one from me. Finding we had consum
ed more time at dinner than we coul
spare, we hastily drained our coffee an
, departed for the theatre. My interest
ing friend confessed that it had been
long time since he had attended tn
, theatre (because his professional engage
| ments kept him occupied). He W;
: very much interested with the perform
e ance and evinced knowledge of all II
: localities revealed. He displayed
n his offhand criticisms a knowledge
h human nature and character that woul
have been invaluable to dramatist, an
/, it was clear that he derived his informs
a ton from personal contact with tt
t world, which he solemnly declared w
:, not so bad as generally depicted.
d After the theatre we walked up tow
together and 7 prevailed upon him